Spring hinge



March 2, 1937., BOMMER Zfi'iZfig SPRING HINGE Filed Dec. 26, 1934 INVENTOR.

"gig. BY "K2 A RNE Patented Mar. 2, 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SPRING HINGE Application December 26, 1934, Serial No. 759,171

2 Claims.

This invention relates to spring hinges for doors and the invention has for its object and purpose to provide improved means whereby at will to adjust the door-closing torsion spring to the needful requirements, or to the desired requirements, of the particular door with which the spring is, or is to be, associated.

An object of the invention is to so mount the torsion spring and to provide therefor such sim- 10 ple and adjusting mechanism that the spring by means of a screw driver or similar tool, may be given that fine degree of tensional force or stored power which best efiects a closing of the door in keeping with a persons desire or fancy.

15 Another object of the invention is to so arrange and connect a cylindrically coiled spring that one end or portion thereof will with the turning of the door spindle itself be turned or twisted about the longitudinal axis of the spring.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a spring hinge arrangement which is especially useful and efiicient in connection with door check and closer devices of the type illustrated in my oo-pending application filed December 26, 1934, Seria1 No. 759,170, but I desire to make it 25 understood that the present invention involves principles of general application, useful in a wide variety of hinges in which a. spindle or a pintle turns in accompaniment with the opening and closing movements of the door.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a construction in which, where an enclosing casing is used for the working parts, the adjustment of the torsion spring may be accomplished from the outside of the casing.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, the invention consists in the novel construction, combination and arrangement of parts as hereinafter more specifically described with reference to the example illustrated in the accompanying drawing, wherein like characters of reference denote corresponding parts throughout the several views, and in which:

Figure 1 represents a vertical sectional view through a door check and closer embodying a spring hinge construction made in accordance with my invention, this view being taken on the line |-l of Fig. 2;

Fig. 2 is a cross sectional view, taken on the line 50 2-2 of Fig. 1 and showing the worm gear arrangement by which the fine adjustment is efiected and maintained.

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the upper retaining collar or ring to which the spring is attached;

" 55 and Fi 4 is a similar view of the worm collar or ring to which the spring is attached.

Referring now to the drawing in which for purposes of illustration I have shown an example of my invention as embodied in a door check and 5 closer, 5 denotes a casing of appreciable length and generally of cylindrical form, having oppositely disposed leaves 6 adapted to embrace a stile 1 or other suitable supporting part or frame adjacent the door, and 8 denotes the hinge spin- 10 dle or pintle which is shown in the present instance as provided with a four-sided portion 9 adapted to engage a correspondingly formed socket ID in the door whereby, as is well known in the art, to connect the spindle and door so that these two parts will turn together,

The casing 5 is represented as being provided with an integral bottom portion ll above which the interior of the casing is .cylindrical in form, and in the present embodiment the top of the. casing comprises a cap closure I2 having peripheral screw-threads whereby to be screw-threaded at l3 into the upper end of the body of the casing. The spindle 8 within the interior of the casing is provided with a motion transmission connecter I4 of cylindrical form and which has telescoping fit on a valve member l5. For turning the valve IS with the turning movement of the spindle while permitting the valve to be moved upwardly as the door is opened and to be moved downwardly against checking fluid medium as the door is closed, a sliding key connection is provided between the connecter l4 and the valve l5 and comprises the provision in the cylindrical wall of the connecter of elongated slots or guideways which are parallel with the longitudinal axis of the valve and in these guideways are slidably fitted suitable keys I! provided for the purpose on the valve. The motion-transmitting connecter and the valve do not of themselves constitute a part of the present invention and therefore they need not be further described herein, but it is in place to state here that these parts are fully illustrated, described. and claimed in my co-pending application above identified.

l8 denotes a seating or retaining collar for the lower end of the cylindrically coiled torsion spring I9, and with this collar there is combined a hobbed or worm wheel portion 20. This collar, as shown in Fig. 1, is of larger interior diameter than the exterior diameter of the valve l5 and of the motion transmission connecter I4, so as to be passed downwardly around these parts to rest upon the bottom end ll of the casing. With respect to'the interior diameter of the casing just above the portion 4 l.

bottom II, the outside diameter of this collar is such that its outer face will contact with the inner face of the casing wall. Above an annular shoulder 2| the interior of the casing is slightly of larger diameter in order suitably to provide room for the worm wheel portion 20 provided on this collar. The top portion of this collar is made in the form of a seat on which to retain the lower end of the torsion spring I9 and it will be seen that this seat comprises an annular ledge or shoulder 22 adjacent an upwardly extending flange 23 which fits inside the coils of the spring. In the flange 23 is provided an open notch 24 in which is engaged the lower terminal 25 of the spring whereby to anchor the lower end of the spring to the collar.

Manual means operative from the outside of the casing is provided whereby to adjust or turn the collar rotatably and thereby turn or twist the torsion spring about its longitudinal axis,and,also

whereby to secure or retain the collar and hence the spring in adjusted position. This means consists in the provision of a worm stem or pin 26 disposed in a bore 21 of suitable size, which bore is so made that a portion thereof communicates through an opening 23 with the interior of the casing to permit inter-engagement of a plurality of the teeth of the screw stem with a plurality of the teeth on the worm wheel 20. Preferably and as shown, the outer end of the bore 21 is enlarged sufliciently to permit the entrance of a flange 29 provided on the stem for the purpose of seating against a stop shoulder 30. Suitable packing 3| is inserted inthe enlarged bore against the flange '29 and a sealing nut or gasket 32 is screw-threaded into the enlarged bore against the packing whereby to prevent any leakage of the checking medium or fluid around the outer end of the stem while permitting the teeth of the stem and of the worm gear to be lubricated. The outer end of the stem is provided with a notch 33 adapted to receive the endof a screw driver or similar tool whereby to provide for the manual turning of the worm stem and hence of the lower retaining collar in mesh therewith.

For the upper end of the torsion spring there is provided a seating or retaining collar 34 having an'underneath annular shoulder or seat 35 and adjacent thereto 2. depending flange 36 which comes inside the coils of the spring, said flange 36 having an interior diameter greater than the exterior diameter of the motion-transmitting connecter l4 so as to permit axial adjustment of the connecter with the spindle 8 to which the connecter is rigidly attached. The depending flange 36 is provided with an open notch 31in which is engaged the upper terminal 38 of the spring whereby the spring is secured to the upper retaining collar so that these parts will be turned together. The upper retaining collar 34 is formed with a central upstanding flange 39 having a circular exterior face and this flange as well as the collar itself having a polygonally shaped aperture 40, which, in the present instance, consists of four equal faces. For interlocking with the aperture 40, the spindle 8 is provided with a four-sided Under this arrangement, when the portion 41 is engaged in its opening, the collar and spindle will turn in unison, and during assembly the spindle may be applied to the collar whenthe latter has been turned into that position in which the spring has been turned or twisted so as to give it a preliminary tension.

The cap I? is formed exteriorly with a central enlargement or hub 42 having a bearing 43 for the smooth portion 44 of the spindle; and this bearing by the top face of the retaining collar 34 and to rest upon an annular ledge or shoulder 50 provided in the casing wall adjacent and below the screwthreads l3. Suitable ball elements 5| are disposed between the disks 4l' and 49 and in suitable raceways 52 provided in these cooperating ball bearing disks. Under this arrangement the spindle and as well the weight of the door, if the door is supported upon the spindle, are supported in the upper part of the casing upon the ledge 50, and when the-cap is screwed-'down-to its full extent its underneath-portion 53 engages the upper face of the disk '49 so as to retain the latter firmly against the ledge 50 and hence in its seat between the casing 'and the cap. The'torsion spring is of such length relative to the distance between the two retaining collars that when the cap is applied to the casing and screwed down tightly thereinto to the full extent permitted toit, the torsion spring will be considerably compressed between the two collars against which it acts, and this compression taken in connection with the twist which may be given to the spring when the portion 4| is engaged with the opening in the collar, will give the spring at the time of assembly an initial or preliminary tension.

In assembly, after inserting the lower-retaining collar in place upon the bottom of the casing,the torsion spring is inserted and its lower terminal is engaged with the notch in the collar. The

screw stem may then be applied so as to engage its teeth with the teeth of the worm gear, thereby locking this lower retaining collar against rota.- tion except upon the proper manipulation of the worm stem'irom the exterior of the casing.- The upper collar is then applied to the spring followed by the application of the disk 49 and the ball ele'- ments. Before the cap is applied or screwed in place, the spindle is applied, inserting the square portion thereof into theoorresponding aperture of the retaining collar in such manner that the spring is given the desired preliminary tension. After the spindle has ben applied to thedoor, the worm stem may be maniplated so as to give the torsion spring the desired 'degree of stored power which is thought to be best adapted to the requirements of the particular door with which the hinge is associated.

As many changes couldbe made in the above described construction and many apparently wide- 1y diiferent embodiments of'this invention could be made without departing from'the scope thereof; it is intended thatall matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawing shall be interpreted as illustrative andnot in a limiting sense.

I claim: 1. In a hinge of the class described, the combination of addor supporting spindle, a jamb fixture in theform of a verticalcasing having a closed bottom arid an open screw-threaded upper end, a

seat formed in the interior casing wall contiguous ,said upper .end, a door closing spring connection in thecasinghaving means for engaging, the

spindle, a screw-threaded cap closure for"'engaging the screw-threaded upper end of the casing, having therethrough a central journal opening receiving the spindle for rotation and a supporting bearing for the spindle receivable in said seat for rotatably supporting the spindle therein, said closure, when applied, adapted to force compression of the spring in the casing below the seat and to entirely enclose the bearing and confine the same in its seat against upward displacement.

2. In a hinge of the class described, a casing adapted to be fixed to the jamb and having an internal seat contiguous its upper end, a spindle adapted to support the door and turn therewith, a spring in the casing coacting between the spindle and casing to cause winding of the spring upon rotation of the spindle on the opening movement of the door, a bearing for rotatably supporting the spindle upon said seat including a mounting member which encircles the spindle above the spring, confining the latter, having support upon the seat and a circular member fixed to the spindle, with ball elements between said members, and a cap closure for the casing in which the spindle is journaled for rotation, having screwthreaded coaction with the casing above said mounting member, said closure adapted to entirely encase the bearing and confine the same in its seat against upward displacement.

EMIL BOMIVIER. 

